
Core Competencies
The Core Competencies are essential disciplines that organizations must master to become great companies. They serve as a time-tested framework to assess and enhance a company's operational effectiveness.
Building a great company isn’t just about having a strong product or talented team—it’s about mastering the disciplines that directly drive growth. The Core Competencies provide a proven framework for scaling successfully, ensuring that every part of the business is optimized for sustainable expansion. These competencies—Vision, Customer, Goals, People, Structure, Data, Meetings, Process, and Exit—work together to create clarity, alignment, and execution at every level of the organization. Companies that excel in these areas don’t just operate efficiently; they unlock new opportunities, improve decision-making, and accelerate their growth trajectory.
By strengthening these competencies, companies create a foundation for faster, smarter, and more predictable growth. A clear vision and customer focus ensure that resources are directed toward the right opportunities, while structured goals and a strong organizational design keep teams aligned and accountable. Data-driven insights, effective meetings, and well-documented processes eliminate bottlenecks and create momentum. Mastering these disciplines doesn’t just enhance day-to-day operations—it transforms how a company scales, making growth repeatable, sustainable, and ultimately, inevitable.
Overview
Mastering these competencies enables organizations to focus, align, and thrive, guiding decision-making and goal achievement. Each competency plays a vital role in organizational success:
- Vision: A compelling vision defines the company's identity, purpose, and direction—its who, why, what, and where.
- Customer: Reflects a company's ability to identify and market to its Ideal Customers and serve them consistently at the highest level.
- Goals: Looks at an organization's ability to establish, track, and achieve its compelling set of long-term (10-year), medium-term (2- to 5-year), and short-term (1-year, 90-day) objectives.
- People: Reflects the quality and coherence of a company's organizational values, norms, and culture.
- Structure: Measures how well you identify the Core Functions of your organization; create an Org Chart that clarifies roles, accountabilities, and responsibilities; and place the right people in the right seats.
- Data: Measures how well a company collects, analyzes, and leverages quality information to accomplish its organizational objectives.
- Meetings: Measures a defining feature of any organization: its meetings.
- Process: Measures how well a company identifies, documents, and follows the processes that define how it does business.
- Exit: Measures how well an organization is preparing for a future sale or leadership transition.
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Core Competencies
![9 Core Competencies Diagram [Founders Framework] 9 Core Competencies Diagram [Founders Framework]](https://www.ninety.io/hs-fs/hubfs/90%20Illustrations%20and%20Diagrams/Illustrations%20and%20Diagrams/9%20Core%20Competencies%20Diagram%20%5BFounders%20Framework%5D.png?width=500&height=493&name=9%20Core%20Competencies%20Diagram%20%5BFounders%20Framework%5D.png)
Key Resources & Tools
Start
In the early days, the focus is on proving the business idea and securing the first customers. Success at this stage comes from testing demand quickly, rather than perfecting every detail. The biggest risk? Overengineering—spending too much time refining the product, business model, or operations before confirming there’s a real market.
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90u Library
Vision
Learn how our Vision tool enables you to document your Core Values, Compelling Why, Ideal Customer, … -
Blog
Read Time: 9 Minutes7 Reasons Founders Need a Compelling Why
A compelling purpose is crucial for ambitious founders in the New Age of Work. Learn how it drives s… -
Podcast
Duration: 25:10The Importance of Having an Explicit Vision Throughout Your Organization
In this episode, we explore why having a vision is crucial for founders launching a business. A clea… -
90u Library
Ideal Customers
Learn to cultivate three characteristics of Ideal Customers: where they are (geographic), who they a… -
Podcast
Duration: 28:19Why Your Ideal Customer Profile Matters
In this episode, Cole and Mark delve into the crucial topic of identifying and serving your Ideal Cu…
Build
With early traction, the priority shifts to refining product-market fit and proving the business model is repeatable. The challenge here is premature scaling—investing in complex infrastructure, leadership layers, or operational processes before the foundation is fully set, which can drain resources and slow momentum.
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Blog
Read Time: 10 MinutesThe Trap of Manager Mode: Why Founders Can’t (and Shouldn’t) Live There for Long
Learn why founders shouldn’t stay in Manager Mode and how delegating operations to the right leaders… -
Blog
Read Time: 16 MinutesGrow or Die #2: Structure Comes First
See why prioritizing structure before people is crucial for building an enduring Stage Five organiza… -
Podcast
Duration: 26:35Structure First, People Second
Mark shares his views on the importance of “structure first, people second” when building a successf…
Grow
This is when a company expands its team, builds foundational systems, and ensures alignment across the organization. Growth can quickly become chaotic without clear structure, processes, and accountability. Moving too fast without these in place can lead to inefficiencies, misalignment, and stalled progress.
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90u Library
Compelling and Audacious Goals
Compelling and Audacious Goals (CAGs) are bold, ambitious objectives that unite and inspire organiza… -
Podcast
Duration: 36:02Mapping Out Success with Goals
Cole and Mark explore the concept of goals and their relationship to an organization's vision. They … -
90u Library
Quarterly Planning Meetings
Learn the importance of reviewing the previous 90 days to assess progress on goals, celebrate achiev… -
Podcast
Duration: 29:24How to Have Truly Productive Meetings
This week, we’re getting into the significance of meetings as one of the 9 Core Competencies of orga… -
Podcast
Duration: 27:44The Power of Hiring the Right People
In this week’s episode, Mark and Cole are pivoting to the importance of finding great people once yo…
Scale
At this stage, the focus shifts to efficient expansion, professionalizing leadership, and optimizing execution. However, as companies grow, they often introduce too many layers of management, slowing down decision-making and creating silos that stifle innovation. The key is balancing structure with agility.
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90u Library
Process
This brief offers an introduction to Ninety’s Process tool, which allows you to document the process… -
Podcast
Duration: 22:03How Process Forms Alignment
Discover the importance of processes in organizations, especially as they grow. Mark and Cole emphas… -
90u Library
Data
This brief introduces Data as one of the 9 Core Competencies of running a great company. -
Blog
Read Time: 11 MinutesHow Visionary Leaders Leverage Data to Shape the Future
Unlock your path to visionary, data-driven leadership. Lead and motivate your team through exponenti… -
Podcast
Duration: 26:05Turn Data into Your Company’s Superpower
It’s time to dive into the complexities of data management and its significance in business operatio…
Exit
A mature company aims for long-term sustainability, operational efficiency, and founder independence. But stability can lead to stagnation—bureaucracy, resistance to change, and loss of agility can make it difficult to adapt. Staying competitive means fostering a culture that embraces continuous improvement and innovation.
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Podcast
Duration: 30:05Prepare for Your Exit with Enhanced Enterprise Value
Learn more about the concept of "Exit," one of the 9 Core Competencies formerly known as "Enterprise… -
Blog
Read Time: 12 MinutesHow to Let Go While Preserving Your Company’s Legacy
Learn how Founder Mode prepares founders for successful exits, ensuring the company’s legacy and vis…
Next Steps
For those ready to take action, consider these added actionable steps:
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Deeper Dive: Vision